Palazzo Princess shrugged off a sloppy track and an outside post position Friday at The Meadows and handily captured the $33,800 final of the Kat N Mouse, completing her sweep of the series for three-year-old pacing fillies
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Although saddled with post position 9, Aaron Merriman said he had no hesitation about sending Palazzo Princess to the front.
“I was absolutely not going to get away last,” Merriman said. “I thought about trying to find a spot or, if I got parked, maybe just trying to let her relax. I think she would race good off a helmet as she did last week, but once I saw that I could get the lead pretty easily, I just made a slow grind to the front.”
Palazzo Princess didn’t clear to the lead until the quarter pole, but she had no serious challengers from there. She prevailed by 1-1/2 lengths over a closing MS Rush while Model Magnate finished third.
It was the fourth consecutive victory for the daughter of Jate Lobell-Hawaiian Exotica, a Paint Creek Farms homebred, and her fifth win in 11 lifetime starts. Trainer Paul Kennedy, Jr. said he didn’t keep the filly eligible to as many stakes as he might have because of a late-season injury last year.
“She popped a curb, and she didn’t close the year strong,” Kennedy said. “She’s come back pretty good. She’s eligible to a few big stakes and a few smaller stakes. It depends on whether she can race against the good ones.”
He said he’s pointing Palazzo Princess to the She’s A Great Lady but may give her one prep before that stake.
Because The Meadows had no live racing Friday, the series final was contested as a non-wagering event following morning qualifiers.
(The Meadows)